Sony explains why DualShock 4 dropped touchscreen

One of Sony's DualShock 4 prototypes featured a touchscreen, but this was ultimately scrapped in the final version in favor of the touchpad because developers didn't like the idea of having players divert their eyes from the main screen during gameplay, product planning manager Toshimasa Aoki has said.

But if they had implemented it like the wii u, where u can play on that control screen, it would have been great. Ps vita gots you covered if you want to experience this,except itll be costing an extra couple bucks

The main reason was probably cost. It would have made the controller cost more to make, and in turn cost a lot more to buy, pushing the price of the console up. It would also have had a devastating effect on the battery life.

Total waste of resources. Wii U has it and not even Nintendo themselves have made very great use of it.

"I think they did this because they have vita and their gonna implement using it as a controller(MVC3). and when that happen people will change their toon again"

'I don't work for toons!' It's "tune" not "toon" And we've already seen how successful PSP was at getting developers to implement it as a second screen. Developers work for the lowest common denominator. We are NOT going to see any significant amount of use of a handheld being used to control games on a game console.

You're saying it like the Wii U pad doesn't actually add to the total cost of the console itself. Nintendo is going to have a hard time cutting the price of the Wii U because of the pad. The pad is not even fully independent and not even multi-touch unlike almost everything else currently on the market. Without the pad, the Wii U could be priced at $250 and still make a profit and would still be competitive.

That people do not get, that the Gamepad is actually a must for Nintendo. They said themselves, they will make full use of it in the new Zelda. Oh, there was no use of it in a 2D Mario? What could it do there? Nothing important, agreed. Wind Waker did only simple stuff? Agreed, was a remake of an 10 year old game and so tied to its gameplay, so you couldnt add a lot.

It is funny, how people are not able to see, that the Wii U, of all Consoles, because of its motion controls and the Gamepad is BY FAR the best console, if it comes to games like MMOs, RTS and so on. Komplex games will be games for Wii U. Integrated Keyboard, touchscreen and so on

Take a game like WoW where your charakter has around 50 skills, which you have to use, not playable with a controller, but guess what, with the touchscreen you do not have this problem.

Take a game like Diablo3, where the console Version had to have a completely revamped interface to make it console playable, on Wii U, it could've stayed the way it was on the PC. Hell, Diablo3 skillsystem ruined the whole game and the system was only like that, because of consoles, so it is playable on console, with only 6 skills at a time, if there wouldve been the Wii U already, they couldve stayed with the old system, which is much more appealing.

Play a game like Oblivion on PC and then on Console, on console, for everything, you have to go like 10min into the menu, to change the spell for example, on PC, you make 2 clicks and done, on Wii U you could do the same.

Really now, that you PS4 fans are so blinded, when it comes to the PS4 and then even try to make the use of the gamepad seem useless, just shows, that you only are the consumer, not the thinker.

@Chrischi1988 You're basically saying that the Wii-U's controller is great for genres and games that are not being supported or released at all for the Wii-U. That's like saying that I'm the best velociraptor hunter on the planet. Unless someone clones a friggin' velociraptor for me to kill, I'm not proving jack. The touchscreen would be attractive if games in the Wii-U used it in ingenious ways that could not be replicated by other peripherals, but not even Nintendo themselves are supporting the touchscreen, so why would we care about a peripheral that not even the company that created it supports?

The fact is that the PS4 controller's touchpad is less intrusive, easier to integrate and MUCH more battery- and cost-effective than the Wii-U controller's touchscreen. And like it's been said before, the PS Vita will be able to replicate the touchscreen functionality once things get rolling, and the upcoming Vita Slim and pricedrop will make it an attractive buy.

Maybe...maybe not. I know it would have been a hell of a lot more expensive...which would drive the cost of the console up OR make Sony once again eat HUGE amounts of debt for each one sold. It was a compromise, I'm sure. We would like to give them a scree, but can't afford it. So, touchpad it is.

I never have any problems witching between the controller and the TV on my wiiU, i think it comes down to the devs. And how they use it, Splinter Cell was brilliant, Wonderful 101 really defines the use of the touch screen, and i'm sure it's only getting better.

did I get all these disagree cause I said yo or because I pointed out something that always seem to happen on this site

plus im talking about a controller like the steam controller screen its not big at all. plus if devs use like maps, inventory, map, etc. I wouldn't see the point in always having to look at the map. you could look at it when its not a lot of action.

and yall are completely right about the price. its yall opinion and I respect it.

I don't see the point of the touch pad. All I can see it do is some small minigames that would still be controlled better with a thumbstick. Small touch screen is what I would welcome, it could bring a lot of variety to the games...battery life would suffer tho.

Please, tell me of any great usage of this feature other than minigames.ANything that will make gaming better and easier. Changing weapon by swiping your finger through the pad is just making it harder, you could simply press a button as it's faster and easier. Anything, and everything that this touchpad do, can be done by using the thumbsticks which is easier.

You could use it as a cursor input for games that work better with that type of input...say a RTS game. Touchpads are common on notebooks, and they work pretty well.

Since it's multi-touch, you could have features like you see in smartphone games for zooming in easier on maps, or swiping to control sub screens. You could map weapon selection to areas of the touch screen to quickly change weapons without having to scroll through them with a button press, pretty handy in a FPS if you ask me. In that vein, you can map commands that you would give your team mates in the same manner...say in Mass effect, which had a limited selection of commands you could give.

I've been playing around with a concept for a game I want to develop on phones which allows you to set up combos from a wheel-type menu by tracking your finger like you would do while unlocking your phone. It works pretty well, and is a step up from standard cascading menus select and click for what I want to do.

The only thing I would have really liked about this takes me back to when the Dreamcast was around. The screen on the controller allowed you...and ONLY you... to see your playbook and call on NFL 2K when you were on the couch with a friend playing a game....this was an awesome feature that made the game a lot more realistic and fun. Dying to get my PS4! The 15th can't get here fast enough!

I am glad they avoided it. Screens in controllers are really only suitable for one specific function which is off-screen portable play. The type of duel screen play works with the a device like the DS because of its close proximity. I don't think it works all too well on a larger scale.

They could have gotten pretty creative with it. Like making it a display for virtual buttons, battery level, or even time. I think it was a cost, and possibly a durability decision. Either way, the current design is still spot on.

Good idea, I find the switching screens on the Wii U can be distracting and jarring/immersion breaking. It has sometimes even created a sensation of disorientation. It works with the DS because the screens are quite close together and both screens remain in your field of view at all times, so you can freely glance back and forth between them without feeling removed from either view.

Come on 29/11! I paid this baby off 2 months ago and now I just want to take it home.

you saying if they put a screen on the controller you will have to always look at the screen wtf. yall trying to hard. even some razer keyboards have screen. used for maps, loadouts, inventory, stats, etc. even a lot of up coming games are putting wiiU controller to better use. what you think they gonna use steam controller for and the screen is way smaller than the wiiU

Opinions dude, not everyone finds looking at two different screens in two completely different locations such a smooth experience. Also notice he said "can be" and "sometimes" as in not always the case.

If you're a gamer, and it provides fun GAMES!!! What’s the problem? Because they don't follow the "status quo"? You do realize they had great games on the Wii. Mario Galaxy was one of my favorites this gen. I also loved the New Super Mario Bros. in all its forms as well. I thought those gamers were much more fun than the common fodder of this gen. All I'm saying is Nin has its place, and as long as they provide fun games for GAMERS, what’s the problem? Do they threaten your identity? Why so bitter?

@ silent Maybe, but does it have to be just like everything else to be fun? I mean I didn't start gaming on the 2600 for the "online infrastructure", or the .000006KB of ram, I started gaming because I liked the fact that when I moved that stick I got a reaction on the screen, and because the reaching objective was FUN. I game for the fun, period. I'm not going to miss out on a fun game because a certain system can't do what another system, which I own by the way, can do. You can, and have every right to feel the way you do, I'm not trying to "convince" you of anything, I’m just sharing mine as well. To me my argument makes a lot more logical sense to me, but I am very objective and try not to get caught up in any "politics". I just can’t understand the logic in missing out on a fun experience, just because every systems not the exact same.

LOL, and I love the way you start by calling me a fanboy, because I don’t share your opinion. What am I a Wii fanboy? I’ve owned every console I possible could since the 2600, that includes the NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, Gameboy, Gameboy advanced, N64, PS1, Dreamcast, PS2, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, PSP. I didn’t get the Vita or WiiU because I lost the use of my right arm and can’t physically play them (super unfortunately), but my point is I’m a gamer. I’ve always liked fun games, and hated it when I’d miss out on one due to not owning the hardware (Neo-Geo, CDi, etc.) So for my unbiased, fair opinion I’m a fanboy? I don’t have to look too deep into you history to see you’re not exactly innocent of what your accusing me off.

That really didn't matter, and I saw your response. Let me get this straight, I'm a "fanboy" because I like games not consoles, and you are not only LOVEING one company? Do you even know what Fanboy means? You are a joke of a person with nothing support your views other than opinion; you are what’s wrong with the world. You believe whatever who you like tells you, and close your mind to anything else. People like you are the reason there are countless people being slaughtered around the world by the elite trying to line their pockets. The saddest part is you’re this way about a toy. Do you even know what’s going on around you in the world? Your pretty nice safe place is literally disappearing around you making you a slave, and you’re in here telling me I’m a fanboy for enjoying any game for what it is. Get over you sense of entitlement and supreme view of you own self-importance. You need to get over the MS vs. Sony vs. Nin ridiculous war, and spend some of that energy looking around you and seeing what’s really important. I’m almost embarrassed to even try to reach you, because I’m sure your response will be. “Sony 4 Life, screw this fanboy, but you are exactly what you think I am, I take that back, you are worse, you’re a total Sony Jihadist. Be proud to follow the crowd.

You don't have to look down to use the gamepad screen either, it's optional to have anything displayed on there. If the devs wanted to they could make it function in exactly the same way as the touchpad.

The fact that they don't means that the devs obviously prefer touchscreens to touchpads.

what that's dumb they should of did this love touch pad but screen would of been way better. even if you not playing portable. everyone that played on wiiU know what I mean. glad steam is going to have it.

Cause they have Vita and don't want to kill it by implementing this feature. This feature should just remain optional not mandatory. Remote play is good enough interaction between PS4 and Vita. Also, Sony knows that any device that has LCD drains and requires a lot of power. Gaming for 2-3 hrs is not sufficient enough for most people especially hard core gamers.

I think a second screen would make a great replacement pause, inventory & stats screen. Some hud elements need to be viewed at all times such as ammo count or timer count downs but there are specific times within certain games where the second screen can work quite well.

Fighting games certainly won't play well with a second screen in-game but if the screen is decent enough you could perhaps use that for all the menu options such as match type & character selection while having all the nice flashy animations on your tv. Maybe if you're hosting a large team you could use it for hot-swapping between characters.

Your disagrees say otherwise. No but seriously i like the idea of simply streaming the tv screen to the Vita and maintaining that one screen, but alternating between 2 simply removes my feeling of emmersion. Not just that but if you ever smash that screen you'd have to buy another controller and with the screen included would be at an increased price plus the lesser battery life.

i think if developers want to implement second screen they should just have an optional vita functionality for it. i liked in guacamelee having the map on the screen at all times. thats all that it was used for and thats all that it needed